This disclosure relates to the field of spinal fusion. In particular, this disclosure is drawn to spinal fusion devices and associated methods.
The spine can be considered to be a series of movable segments made up of vertebrae and discs. Due to trauma, disease, and/or aging, the spine may be subject to degeneration. This degeneration may destabilize the spine and cause pain and/or nerve damage. Medical procedures are often required to either ease back pain, repair damage, or to prevent further damage.
One procedure that is often used to treat back pain or spinal damage is spinal fusion. Spinal fusion is a surgical technique used to fuse two or more adjacent vertebrae. Supplemental bone tissue is typically used in conjunction with the patient's natural osteoblastic processes in a spinal fusion procedure. Spinal fusion is used primarily to eliminate back pain caused by the motion of the damaged vertebrae by immobilizing adjacent vertebrae. Conditions for which spinal fusion might be done include degenerative disc disease, treatment of a spinal tumor, a vertebral fracture, scoliosis, degeneration of the disc, spondylolisthesis, or any other condition that causes instability of the spine.